ISLAMABAD – Minister for Information Pervaiz Rashid has said that the Orange Line Metro Train is a project for the common people while those critcising it themselves are enjoying lavish vehicles.
Talking to private TV channel, the minister said that the project would provide a respectable and standard means of transport to the common people. “We all are availing facility of subsidised flour and therefore no one should raise objection over the subsidy being given to the poor people on transport.”
The minister said that the project was being criticised just for the sake of political gains. He added that the critics would also take benefit of the facility after its completion. He said that the Punjab government was making efforts for the development and prosperity of Punjab and other provinces should also follow suit instead of criticism.
Pervaiz said that the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) was focussing to provide all the basic requirements to the common man, such as health, education, transport and infrastructure. He said that some Rs 27 billion would be spent for providing clean drinking water to the people of Punjab.
The minister said that the provincial government had allocated 27 per cent of its total budget for education, which was higher than the previous ones. He said that billion of rupees were being spent in the shape of stipends to students of government as well as private schools, while Rs 20 billion was earmarked for endowment fund.
Pervaiz said that the Punjab government had hired 80,000 educators on merit through a transparent recruitment system. He said that the hospitals were being established at different places in the province to provide health care facility to the people and Rawalpindi Cardiology Hospital was one of the examples.
To a question, the minister said that the Orange Line train project was not a part of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) but the provincial government had taken loan on soft terms for the project. To another question, he said that the national heritage would be protected during the project.
Pervaiz said that the Motorway project was also questioned when it was launched but today one could understand its importance as GT Road was unable to cope with heavy traffic load. He said that work over ‘Greater Lahore Scheme’ was also underway which was being monitored by Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
He said that the PML-N would continue to strive for serving the people under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
